Just days after Renato Moicano booked a marquee matchup against Jalin Turner at UFC 300, he heard his name mentioned in a callout from rising British star Paddy Pimblett.
The always outspoken Scouser posted a video discussing the timeline for his UFC return following a win over Tony Ferguson this past December, and that’s where he mentioned Moicano as his ideal opponent.
“That is who I want next. Renato Moicano, ‘Money’ Moicano, you owe me money, lad,” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “I’m coming for you, little sausage.”
Of course, Pimblett had impeccable timing given the announcement of Moicano’s UFC 300 fight against Turner in April, but that didn’t surprise Moicano one bit.
“Every time that somebody good has a fight, he calls them out,” Moicano told MMA Fighting when addressing Pimblett’s message. “He knows that fight is not happening now. I don’t want to focus too much on Paddy Pimblett, but I will beat Jalin Turner and then we will see. We will see if he’s going to fight me or what he’s going to do. Let’s see. Only time will tell.”
Pimblett sits at 5-0 with three finishes thus far in his UFC career, including a win over one-time UFC interim lightweight champion Ferguson, but he hasn’t faced anyone currently occupying a spot in the top 15 lightweight rankings. Drawing a foe like Moicano would be his first, so the callout makes sense if Pimblett wants to take that next step in his career.
Moicano suggests that perhaps Pimblett should learn to walk before he’s ready to run into the brick wall that is the upper echelon of the UFC lightweight division.
“I think he’s a regular fight, in my opinion. He’s not good, he’s OK,” Moicano said of Pimblett. “He knows how to fight. He could get better. He’s still young. He could get better. But don’t get me wrong, he’s not an elite UFC level fighter. He’s not. That’s why he’s not in the top 15.
“In my opinion, he lost to Jared Gordon. He had a lot of trouble against Tony Ferguson. Tony Ferguson is 39 years old, crazy motherf******. It’s just crazy.”
That being said, Moicano hasn’t seen anything from Pimblett to make him believe the 29-year-old prospect would serve as a serious threat to him in a fight. That’s why Moicano isn’t opposed to the idea of fighting Pimblett after he gets through Turner at UFC 300.
“This is only about hype and popularity,” Moicano said. “Maybe he can get his spot. That’s not up to me, that’s up to the UFC. After I beat Jalin Turner, if they offer me good money, or even do a co-main event in the London pay-per-view or something like that, let’s see how it goes.
“I’m all about the money. If they offer me good money to fight Paddy Pimblett, why not? He’s a free paycheck.”
While some fighters almost get offended when potential opponents call them out, Moicano actually understands why Pimblett is seeking him out in an attempt to climb into the lightweight rankings.
Ultimately, Moicano will leave the matchmaking up to the UFC, but he cautions Pimblett about accepting the wrong fight — otherwise the hype built up around him will die a quick but agonizing death.
“I think stylistically, I am good matchup for Paddy Pimblett too,” Moicano said. “Imagine if he fights Jalin Turner. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy fight for him. Because if I am tall, Jalin Turner is taller. It’s all about game. If they put Paddy Pimblett against the wrong guy in the top 15, he’s going to get murdered.
“So maybe I can take it easy on him so they can use him for other shows still. Maybe that fight makes sense. But like I said, I am only thinking about UFC 300 and the Jalin Turner fight first.”
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